In the final Group D match of the T20 World Cup at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia, a Sri Lankan team, already eliminated, posted a strong total of 201 for six while batting first against the Netherlands on Sunday.
Despite not being able to advance to the Super Eights phase, the 2014 champions showed resilience after losing Pathum Nissanka early, with Kusal Mendis leading the way by scoring 46 off 29 balls (five boundaries).
Charith Asalanka also made a significant contribution, reaching the same score of 46 in fewer balls, including one four and five sixes, most of which were aided by a strong crosswind at the venue.
Logan van Beek, the grandson of the late Simpson “Sammy” Guillen, a former West Indies and New Zealand wicketkeeper/batsman, was the top wicket-taker, taking wickets off successive balls in his third over despite conceding 45 runs in his four-over spell.
While the Dutch team tried to contain the Sri Lankans, they were also paying attention to the match in St Vincent where Nepal was struggling to chase a target of 107 against Bangladesh.
A win for Bangladesh would secure their spot in the Super Eights and eliminate any chances of the Netherlands advancing with a strong performance against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, although already out of contention for qualification, displayed their batting prowess by scoring the first 200-plus total in a T20 International match at this venue.
str/sev
